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How to Be a Fearless Public Speaker

Do you get nervous when it is your turn to stand up in front of your peers or coworkers or totally unknown audience?

You are not alone. It always happens, to everybody, even to someone you would never think.

Fear is a part of our life, and keep us awake, but we all should keep it under control.

Below are some tips to decrease or stop fears.

PRACTICE.

Practice your presentation. Then practice it again. And again. Have you done that? Well, repeat it. Ask to your friend, pet or to the camera of your pc and repeat it: the more confident you will be, the less fear you will experience.

BREATH

Breath in as deeply as you can, hold and let out the air slowly as you can: repeat 5 times or until you calm down.

CLOSE YOUR EYES.

Wherever you are, even if already in front of your thousands people, imagine yourself in a peaceful place and tell yourself you are quite and happy. Close your eyes.

IMAGINE CLAPPING.

Now imagine you just finishing your speech: can you hear your peers or coworkers clapping? They are impressed by your wise words! Now open your eyes.

Few days ago, I had my chance to present a project in front of 40 very important people, completely unknown to me, which would have evaluate our project before consider to apply it or to reject.

During my last 10 years, from my first experience as University Assistant (my Jurassic age) to the main course I’ve been applying both as a student than a lecturer, up to a hundred of time in front of – literally – squads of media and marketing managers, I’ve been speaking in public several times, but, the evening before that last presentation, I can easily admit that I was feeling a bit scared.

Actually, I had the responsibility to present TheProject for all my peers and coworkers, and I knew how much a proper public speaking would matter in such situation.

To freeze my feelings, I repeated the presentation several and several times, until I felt sure about my voice and capability to pause at the right moment. Then I figured myself leaving the conference room, as much happy and satisfied as I could imagine.

The day after, few minutes before my speech, I realized that none of the device I supposed to use, was working: my computer couldn’t work with the slide projector, the projector itself was not cooperating at all and most of the people, since it was a sunny afternoon, couldn’t’ even see the screen. I could have gone for panic. But I didn’t (actually don’t know why).

When our competitors ended their presentation, I stood up and while I was trying to talk to my unfair devices, I started my speech, smiling to my audience, as if, instead of being in front of a 40 unknown people, I was with a collegue, or a couple of friends.

The presentation went perfectly. Exactly how I figured out. My colleagues were proud of me and none of the audience, while I was explaining them our project, felt asleep.